


that time loki and peter pretended to be tourists

by ell (amywaited)



Series: the time verse [2]
Category: Marvel
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Loki Is Good, Sort of? - Freeform, everybody loves him, loki secretly likes midgardian food, peter is so adorable, redemption arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-01 13:03:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15143666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amywaited/pseuds/ell
Summary: in peters defence, he didnt foresee the semi sentient slime.[complete]





	1. the beginning

**Author's Note:**

> well this took a while
> 
> my knowledge of new york is.. not the best. so bear with me, please. there'll be the other chapters up soon. when i write them. which will be soon. i promise. i hope.
> 
> also i pulled a bit on asgardian lore for the lokis background part, and also messed around with it a bit. so if some things arent fully canon (or even full myth) just.. go with it.
> 
> posting this to tumblr once its finished

“Oh- Shit!” Peter yelps, as a stray piece of shrapnel embeds itself in his left shin. “Shit- Loki!”

Loki’s preoccupied, busy using his magic to keep the semi sentient slime monsters at bay. “Call your beloved Avengers, child! We can’t deal with this alone!”

“I’m fairly sure they’re already aware!” Peter yells back, before flinging out a web and then grimacing when the slime digests it. “Oh, that’s gross.”   
  


*

 

**Five Hours Previously**

“Mr Loki!” Peter trills, knocking on the door to the room Thor and he had coerced Tony into building for Loki. It’s on the common floor, which is probably Tony being paranoid. Personally, Peter would have put Loki on the floor above all of them, so they’d hear him coming. But Loki could also teleport, so it wouldn’t be majorly effective.

“Loki, child,” Loki reminds him, not bothering to open the door and just phasing through it.

“Right. Loki. Anyway, Thor said neither of you had been out to, you know, see the sights. So I thought I’d take you on a tourists tour of New York. Only this time, I know the best places to get food,” Peter says, “If you’d like to. Tony’s finally letting me out of the tower alone with you, so I thought this would be a good first trip.”   


“That sounds.. Acceptable,” Loki says, and Peter knows that’s just Loki speak for ‘that sounds really awesome.’

Peter grins. “Great! Let me just let Tony know, and I’ll meet you in the living room in five minutes.”   


Loki graces Peter with a fond looking nod (which is basically a smile in Loki speak) and turns back into his room.

Peter hurries to the living room on the common floor, where Tony, Steve, and Natasha are all watching some documentary about fish. It looks kind of interesting, actually. “Hey, guys,” he says, flopping onto the nearest couch. His head ends up on Natasha’s shins, and were it anyone else, she would probably have cut their throat by now. Peter decides to count his blessings.

“Hello, Peter,” Steve says, pleasantly.

“So,” Peter says, “I was thinking about taking Loki out and about in the city today.”   


Tony doesn’t look particularly happy, but he doesn’t protest.

“Oh, yeah?” Natasha asks, leaning over to rake her finger tips through his hair. “Who else will be going?”

“Just me and Loki,” Peter tells her.

He knows she just raised an eyebrow at Tony, in a silent ‘what the fuck are you doing?’.

“That sounds like fun,” Steve says, cautiously.

“Yeah,” Peter deliberately doesn’t give any indication that he can hear the inflection in their voices. “It will be.” He’s a better liar than most people think he is.

“Just be careful,” Tony says. “Okay?”

“He won’t be anything less if he knows what’s good for him,” Natasha says, and it only says vaguely threatening (which is an improvement.)

“I’ll be fine,” Peter tells them. “Loki and I can look after ourselves. He’s not as bad as you all think.”   


“He attracts the wrong kind of attention,” Tony says.

Loki’s standing in the doorway. “He does?”

He’s wearing baggy jeans, ripped at the knee (not in a fashion way, in a ‘I’ve had these too long’ way), and an ‘I heart New York’ shirt. There’s a backpack with loads of pockets on his back, and a large pair of sunglasses on his face.

“Holy crap, Loki,” Peter says.

Loki shrugs. “You said tourist. I know a thing or two about disguises.”   


“Almost as good as some of mine,” Natasha says dryly.

“Oh, I can do better,” Loki says. His entire body ripples with light for a second, before it recedes and in Loki’s place is a tall, spindly, bleached blonde girl, wearing ripped, cuffed jeans, fishnets, and red, cat eye sunglasses. 

Tony chokes.

His body lights up again, and tourist Loki is back.

“That was,” Natasha blinks. “I suppose I can hand over the title of best disguise. Have fun, Peter.”   


“Don’t paint the town red,” Tony says, “Be careful,” then, more grudgingly, he adds, “both of you.”   


Peter smiles brightly. “We’ll be fine!”   
  


*

 

Peter’s actually never really done the whole sight-seeing scene. Sure, they did the Empire State on a school trip in sixth grade. But that’s it. He’s never done the Statue of Liberty (but always wanted to. So had Aunt May, but they’d never had the money).

He takes Loki out to a hole-in-the-wall place for breakfast first, thankful that Tony had topped his pockets up before they left. 

“So, game plan,” Peter says, “I was thinking, we’ll hit up all the usual places. You know, Rockafella Centre, Empire State, then we can get something for lunch, maybe head to Central Park - it looks a lot better when half the trees aren’t smouldering, by the way.”   


“Central Park?” Loki says, “Isn’t that where some of your battles take place?”

“Yep! So after lunch, we could do the ferry trip to Lady Liberty,” Peter says, “And then just.. Wander, I guess.”

Loki nods, stabbing a square of bacon with a fork. “That sounds.. Pleasant, I suppose.”   


“You suppose?” Peter repeats, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s an adequate plan,” Loki says, but even as he says it, Peter knows he means so much more.

“That’s what I thought,” Peter says. “You done?”

“Your Midgardian delicacies won’t ever live up to the Asgardian banquets,” Loki says, primly, “But I suppose they’re sufficient.”

Peter giggles, and they head down to 48th street.

 

*

 

Peter takes Loki up to the Top of the Rock first (he’s not half assing this tourist thing). Loki doesn’t particularly enjoy it - who knew the God of Mischief was kind of afraid of heights? - but he didn’t complain too much. Peter decides that maybe they shouldn’t go up the Empire State. 

After they’ve come down (and Loki has choked back their waffles from earlier), Peter buys ice cream cones for them both from the Ben and Jerry’s store. Then they sit and watch the ice rink. He drags Loki into the LEGO store, and comes out with two new build sets (which Loki sends into his dimension pocket thingy - Peter isn’t sure how it works, but it’s helpful as all hell).

“So,” Peter says, licking up a stray drop of ice cream.

“So, what?”

“So, what’s Asgard like?” Peter asks. “Or, what was it like? It got-”

“Destroyed, yes. But before that,” Loki sighs. “Well, I’m told it was beautiful. I spent most of my time in the prisons.”

“What about when you were a kid?”

“When I was still a child, I spent the majority of my time in the libraries, or my rooms,” Loki says, bitterly. “Trying my best to avoid my father or brother.”

“Right,” Peter says. “Well, surely there were good parts, too?”

“The feasts, perhaps,” Loki says. “The palace had the most wonderful of dining halls and ballrooms. Mother would often attempt to learn my brother and I in ballroom dancing. I was always so much better than he.”

“Thor learnt how to waltz?” Peter asks.

“No, he never retained the information. His is a one track mind. As we grew, he would spend more time hunting the creatures in the forests, with our father,” Loki says.

“Did you and your mom keep dancing, then?”

“We did, until I was banished for the first time. I was a mere hundred or so years,” Loki says. His voice grows quieter. “My father sent me to Muspelheim as punishment, and I wish never to return. Now, I cannot recall what I did to deserve it, but I fear all of his punishments are melding together.”

“That.. sucks, Loki. I’m sorry. Did Thor never do anything to stand up for you?” Peter asks.

Loki chuckles. “I’m afraid not. After the first time, and our father decided he would punish me for my brother, Thor came to the conclusion that perhaps his attempt at helping would make things worse for me.”

“Odin doesn’t like a very nice dude,” Peter hums. 

“He wasn’t,” Loki says shortly. “He was an adept leader, but a cruel and negligent father. I vowed I would never become that, and yet I’ve ended up abandoning all of the children I’ve had the fortune to bear.”

“You have kids?” Peter tries not to sound surprised, but he probably does.

“I am father to four,” Loki says, “The female Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and serpent Jormungandr, and Narfi. I have mothered the eight legged horse Sleipnir. I would give anything to see one of them again, but I fear they will want nothing to do with me, or have already perished.”

“But they’re- they’re your kids, why would they be dead?”

“I am a God, child. I would outlive anybody on this planet, and then their ancestors too.”

Peter frowns. “Doesn’t that get.. Lonely?”

“I believe Godhood to be the loneliest life one can live,” Loki says, “A curse, more than anything. Eons of life is more than one could know what to do with.” 

“I- Do you ever wish you were mortal?” Peter asks. His ice cream cone is melted by now, dripping sticky between his fingers, but he doesn’t care about that.

“Never,” Loki says, “I have seen the destruction your species wreaks upon one another, and I wish never to have a part in that.”   


“But you’ve - and no offence -  caused your own destruction,” Peter says.

“At least I can say I’ve never committed it against my equals, my own people,” Loki says. “Least of all ones who can barely defend themselves.”

Peter stares at the people wobbling on the ice rink. “Yeah. I think, maybe I would have liked Asgard.”   


“I think you would have too,” Loki says. “But alas, it is only my brother and I left now. For all our father tells us Asgard is not a place, we have so few people now, too, I doubt we can ever overcome the destruction Hela caused. It is rare to find a mortal able to carry Asgardian children, and I doubt my brother would attempt it anyway.”   


“What about you?” Peter asks.

“Would I bear a mortal child?” Loki clarifies. “Perhaps. If I could find a Midgardian not repulsed by me.”   


“I bet there are loads not repulsed by you,” Peter says. “I’m not repulsed by you!”   


“You are barely a teenager,” Loki says, “I wouldn’t ever bear your children.”

Peter grimaces. “That’s not- that’s not what I meant.”

Loki chuckles. “I know. Is that ice cream not bothering you at all?”

“A little,” Peter admits, so Loki snaps his fingers and suddenly his hands are clean and de-stickyafied.

 

*

 

Peter takes Loki to Central Park next, mostly because it’s nearly the socially acceptable time for lunch, and he’s hungry. And there are always always always hot dog carts near Central Park.

So they get one (Peter chooses for Loki - ‘I do not understand your so-called Midgardian delicacies.’) and leads him to the nearest bench. Loki sits on it properly, Peter balances on the back of it. 

“This is nice,” Peter says. 

“Hm. I suppose."

“Why are you so cynical?” he asks. 

“One of us has to be, what with my brother around,” Loki says. He looks a little bit like he’s smiling though. 

Peter chuckles. “Yeah. I wish I had siblings.”

“No,” Loki says, “I don’t think you do.”

Its such a childish thing to say. Peter thinks Loki had to grow up too fast. 

 

*

 

That’s when things go wrong.

Peter’s just finished his third hotdog when Loki’s head whips around - Peter imagines his ears pricking and hissing - and glares at something Peter can’t quite see. His spidey-sense hasn’t gone off yet, though, so he has no idea whether its harmless.

“What is it, Loki?” He whispers, battle instincts telling him to quieten and hide.

“I don’t-” Loki glares into space before shooting a concentrated beam of green magic at the monsters (or what Peter assumes are monsters). The air shudders and shines, and then transparent slime.. Beings make their way into his peripheral.

The only thing he can think to say is, “Not what I was expecting.”


	2. the battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> picks up exactly where we left off

 

“Nor I,” Loki says. Then the slime monsters attack.

Apparently, they shoot grenades out of their mouths, and if Peter wasn’t so concerned with trying to stay alive, he would love to dissect one and figure out how. 

The tree next to him explodes, and people start running. And screaming (Peter wonders how they do that without choking on their own breath).

“Oh- Shit!” Peter yelps, as a stray piece of tree bark embeds itself in his left shin. “Shit- Loki!”

Loki’s preoccupied, busy using his magic to keep the semi sentient slime monsters at bay. “Call your beloved Avengers, child! We can’t deal with this alone!”

“I’m fairly sure they’re already aware!” Peter yells back, before flinging out a web and then grimacing when the slime digests it. “Oh, that’s gross.”

“I am severely repressing the urge to yell ‘I told you so’,” Tony announces, shooting a repulsor beam at the nearest monster and then landing next to Peter. They both grimace as the bolt lights up the alien from inside, making it look like some weird, modern art, lamp shade.

“Gross,” they say in unison.

“Quit it,” Natasha calls out, swinging across from tree to tree (Peter deliberately doesn’t compare her to a monkey), “These things aren’t gonna fight themselves.”

“Right,” Peter says. Then he catches sight of Cap about to throw his shield at one. “Steve! Don’t throw it!” He yells.

Steve pauses. “What? Why?”

“They’ll eat it!” Peter shouts, “Watch!” He shoots another web at the nearest one, and the whole team turns to stare as the strand gets absorbed into the alien’s body and digested.

“Well, that changes the game,” Tony says, “Hey, Bruce, are you seeing these?”

“I wish I wasn’t, but yeah,” Bruce replies. “Want me to start running identification software?”

“Identifying them would be rather wise,” Loki gasps out. His magic, the green tinged film creating a dome around the Avengers (Peter’s guess is shield) is slowly getting devoured as the slime monsters absorb one another to climb on top of it. The absorption process is one of the more disgusting things Peter’s seen in his time, and he could really do without seeing it. The green is getting paler, and so is Loki. 

“Loki, are you okay?” he asks, running over just as Loki stumbles.

“They’re- they’re taking my magic,” Loki says, “All of it.”

“They’re what?” Tony demands.

“Taking his magic,” Peter repeats bitingly, “Like he just said. We should take him back to the tower.”   


“How? He can’t teleport, and none of us are available to give you a lift,” Tony says. He’s not wrong, everyone is preoccupied with trying to find a weakness in the slime.

“But he’s in no condition to stay here!” Peter exclaims. 

“None of us are in any condition to leave either!” Tony shouts. He doesn’t have to point it out for Peter to know that, actually, this battle is kind of hopeless.

“Tony, I-” Peter says. Then Loki collapses against him. “Please.”   


Tony visibly takes a breath in, before barking out, “Someone get a SHIELD escort here, as soon as. Loki’s down, threat is not subdued and Spider-man is being a huge pain.”

Peter glares at Tony. “No, I’m no- Look out!”

Tony spins and fires another beam at the monster trying to cover him. A piece breaks off and sticks to the boot of the armor, and Tony shakes his foot around to trying and get it off. “Shit. Bruce- activate the scanners on my suit, there’s a bit stuck to my foot.”

“On it,” Bruce says over comms. “Let me know if you need a code green.”

“I think that would do more harm in this situation,” Steve says, watching as the monsters consume the last of Loki’s magic shield, and ripping a lamp post from the ground and feeding it into one of them in the hopes it slows it down. It doesn’t. He can’t really do anything other than watch, since throwing his shield would probably result in not getting it back.

“Right,” Bruce says. “Also, Tony, this sample you say you have. The scanners, they’re not picking anything up.”

“What do you mean they’re not picking up anything? I can see the goop on my leg right now,” Tony says. Peter can see it too. Now that it’s not part of a body, its going grey and tacky looking. 

“The scanners can’t,” Bruce repeats. Peter sees him shrugging. “I can’t detect anything on there. No nothing.”

“Seriously?” Tony asks incredulously. “Okay. I guess I’ll have to come to you, then.”

“Wait, Tony, no!” Peter protests. “You- I mean, the repulsors are the only things that are actually putting these guys down right now, aren’t they? If you leave, whatever slim chance we have will become no chance.”

Tony halts. “I hate to say it, but he’s right,” he says. “I’ve got to stay. Look, Brucie, I’ll pick you up a sample on my way out, instead. But as far as I can tell, the only weakness must be electricity or energy.”

Clint hums, “Let me shoot a taser arrow at it and we’ll find out.”

“Go for it, Hawkeye,” Steve says. Loki has somehow dragged enough magic out of his stores to cast a barrier around them, only this time its fainter and weaker and a lot smaller.

Clint nods, pulling one of the taser tipped arrows out and fitting it in his bow.

“Let her rip, Barton,” Natasha says, before readying her Widow Bite bracelets.

“Got it, thank you,” Clint says, lining up the arrow and firing. It hits the monster square in the chest (or where Peter thinks the chest would be). The monster starts trying to swallow it, before realising its electrified. It’s already taken too much, though, and starts vibrating and shaking. Then it collapses in a messy pile of gunk.

“Ew,” Peter says.

“This means only Iron Man, Widow, Hawk, and Thor can fight them,” Steve says, “I’ll take Loki and Spider-man back to the jet. Loki looks like he needs medical attention.”

“Wait,” Tony says, “How long can you hold this for?” he asks Loki, gesturing to the new shield.

“Not.. long,” Loki huffs out. “Five seconds?” He’s still kind of leaning on Peter, but sitting up and looking even more pale.

“Crap,” Tony says. “Okay, Cap, go.”

“Three,” Loki says, “Two,” the shield flickers out, and then the slime slithers in, moving faster than Peter would have liked. He loops an arm around Loki’s waist, grateful once again for his super strength and sticky powers, before offering a hand to Steve.

“Tell me where the jet is and I’ll web there,” Peter says.

Steve nods, taking his hand. He doesn’t react when Peter activates his sticking powers, even though it always feels a bit prickly on bare skin. “It should be on twentieth, unless Bruce had to move. Although he would have told us if he relocated.”

“Nope, still on twentieth,” Bruce says, “I can fly over and help if you want, but I doubt the weaponry will do much against these aliens. Especially if the only thing they’re reacting to is electricity.”

“Right,” Peter says, “Ready?” 

Steve nods. 

Peter glances at him one last time for webbing to the top of a tree and swinging out of the way. Now, his sole focus is to get Loki out of there and into a hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter is short. apparently i cant for the life of me write battle scenes. sigh.
> 
> comment what you thought?
> 
> check out my [tumblr](https://spideysstark.tumblr.com) for progress reports


	3. Chapter 3

He’s going kind of out of his mind with worry. Peter knows, logically, that Loki will be fine. He’s a god, after all. But the more human side of him is alternating between vibrating and squealing, and sometimes both, and God, is it giving him a headache.

It’s also giving Tony a headache, if the way he keeps glaring at Peter is anything to go by.

Tony looks like he’s seriously considering snatching one of Peter’s web shooters and webbing him to the sticky, slightly crunchy, leather seat they had been directed to in the waiting room of the med wing at SHIELD. 

Loki would probably freak when he woke up and realised they were in SHIELD. But Peter was prepared for that. He’d asked that he was allowed into the room as soon as possible, because if Loki woke up and he wasn’t there, a whole lot of people would probably meet their ends sooner than expected.

So he was waiting in the waiting room. Because, apparently, SHIELD thinks they’re equipped to deal with slightly maniacal, injured Gods. They’re not, which is why Peter’s busy planning out how he can sneak into Loki’s room.

He knows they have cameras in the vents (Natasha and Clint said that one of the training regimes was to see how quickly the agents could get from point A to point B, and apparently part of that course was through the air ducts) so they’re a no go. And the window is a bad idea too, since someone could see him climbing up the walls.

He could get Tony to distract and divert, while he sneaks in. But Peter doesn’t know if Tony would actually be willing to do that for him. Well, Tony would it if he wanted to do anything other than sneak into a confined room with Loki.

Peter glances at Tony, who is fully submersed in whatever’s going on on his phone, and then at the SHIELD appointed guards, because, right, Loki is ‘dangerous’ and ‘can’t be trusted’. The guards aren’t really doing much, just chatting to one another and periodically glancing up and looking around.

Peter calculates the blind spot (which, fortunately, is right by Loki’s room), and the time they look up (every four minutes, thirty four seconds). Which is good. He has four minutes to get up, get to Loki’s door, and pick the lock (right. Because they think that would help them if Loki went on one of his rampages-with-murderous-intent. Spoiler alert, it would probably just annoy him). 

Fifteen seconds after the last guard has turned his back, Peter slides up from his seat, under the pretence of heading to get some water from the dispenser in the corner. Tony looks up from his phone and mouths ‘Where are you going?’

Peter points at the dispenser. Tony nods and turns his attention back to his phone. He glances at Tony once more, glances over at the guards and then shuffles over to the door of Loki’s room, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.

Peter is a better spy than people give him credit for.

He’s inside Loki’s room, shutting the door, and then locking it before anyone even notices.

Loki’s room is kind of.. Dark. Like they haven’t bothered to even turn the lights back on for him. The curtains are drawn, too, even though they’re not so much curtains as bullet proof shutters, armed to the teeth. Peter can see the outlines of weapon mechanisms. The walls are the same surgical white as the rest of the med wing, and it turns the room cold. The overhead light is one of the flat, round ones, harsh, fluorescent, and unflattering. There’s a small wash basin by the door, with a mirror above it, and when Peter looks in it, he looks sickly and grey.

The towel on the rail next to the basin looks scratchy, and the soap is the unscented one that makes your hands dry. There’s a door that must lead to a bathroom, the paint is peeling and white and unfeeling, just like the rest of the room. They’ve tried to brighten it up with a piece of art, a still life of a bowl of fruit, but it just looks out of place and makes Peter feel a little bit like he just walked into a horror game. The floor is linoleum, and his sneakers squeak with every step.

Loki is asleep, or comatose, on the bed. He doesn’t look sick, but he does look drained. Which Peter guesses is true, if the alien monsters things had managed to consume all of his magic energy. He hasn’t ask Tony how they managed to defeat them yet. Or why Loki was overpowered.

There’s a chair by the side of Loki’s bed. Or at least, Peter thinks it goes beside the bed. It’s actually been pushed back against the wall, as far away from Loki as they can get it without removing it from the room. It’s made of dark wood and crushed velvet that looks kind of sticky and sort of stained, so Peter grimaces at it and sits at the end of Loki’s bed instead.

He sighs, glancing around, before his eyes land on Loki again. He can just see his chest rise and fall (Peter wasn’t even aware that Asgardians even had to breath) but its shallow, and on a human, they would probably be unconscious. Well, Loki is unconscious. Peter just.. Doesn’t want to admit it yet.

“Jesus Christ,” comes Natasha’s voice, and then the door shuts with a click. “You should have asked to come in here, Peter.”   


“They wouldn’t have let me anyway,” Peter says, avoiding her eyes and focusing instead on Loki’s closed ones.

“You’re probably right,” Natasha says. “But still. Gave Tony a hell of a shock when he looked up and you weren’t there. He does have a heart condition, you know. I think Fury’s going to be having a word with all the agents who missed you sneaking past them. And since when did you know how to spy?”

“I hang around at least three on a daily basis, I’m bound to pick something up,” Peter says.

“Not many people could do that,” Nat says.

“I’m not people.”

“Guess you’ve got a point there. Come on, we should leave Loki alone for now.”

“What, and let him wake up alone?” Peter asks.

“It’s safer than having someone in the way when he does.”

“Really? You really think that? Think that Loki, waking up alone in a SHIELD med room will be safer than having him wake up with someone he recognises?” Peter says.

“It could backfire. He could think you were the one who brought him in,” Natasha says. “Peter, come on. Leaving him be for a bit will be safer for the both of you.”

“I’m not leaving him. Not yet.”

Natasha sighs. “Peter.”

“Look, you have nothing to hold over me, I’m not leaving unless you drag me and I really don’t know how well that would turn out for you.”

“I will knock you out if I have to,” Natasha threatens. “Come on. Lets go, Peter.”

“Nat, no. You aren’t in charge of me. If this ends badly, it won’t be on you. Just let me stay here. I don’t want him to wake up alone.”

Natasha looks like she’s going to say something, but she just turns on her heel and walks away, leaving Peter alone again. 

 

*

 

It takes about two and a half hours until someone else comes into the room. They’re carrying food, from the smell of it. Something spicy that has Tony written all over it.

“Nat said you weren’t moving,” he says.

“If you’ve come here to ask me to leave, you won’t get far.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Tony says, “But you do need to eat. Come on. I made Bruce’s spiciest recipe. Steve wouldn’t try it, so you can have his serving too if you want.”

“What did Steve have, then?”

“You know him. He grew up in the Depression, and then the war. He hasn’t developed any taste buds. He had plain chicken,” Tony tells him.

“I thought you were trying to broaden his horizons?” Peter asks.

“I am. But hardcore spice probably isn’t the best thing to start out with.”

“True. How spicy?”

“About 100,000 on the Scoville scale,” Tony says. “And I hope you know what that is.”   


“I’m a scientist and a fan of spicy food, of course I know what it is. And you’re right, there’s no way that’s a good thing to try Steve on yet,” Peter says.

“That’s what Bruce said. Come on, eat. I’m not leaving till you do. You can stay here all you want, but you gotta keep yourself healthy.”

Peter takes the plate from Tony. “Thanks.”

“For the food?”

“Yeah. And not for telling me I should leave Loki alone for a bit.”

“Well, I think you should. But I don’t think you’ll listen to me, so I’m saving my breath,” Tony says, handing over a fork.

Peter hums. “Yeah.”

“Okay,” Tony says. “Nat says she’s sorry- which never happens, so enjoy it while it lasts- but that she’s worried for you, by the way.”

“I’ll be fine. Loki’s not dangerous.”

“I beg to differ, kid,” Tony says. His eyebrows are raised. 

“Fine, he’s not dangerous to me. He’ll be less likely to go mad if I’m here when he wake up. Have you been looking into why those alien things managed to take his magic?” Peter asks.

“I’ve been trying, but short of finding one and dissecting it, I can’t do much. But I’m about seventy percent certain he’ll regain the magic.”

“Only seventy?”

“I can’t say I’ve ever done anything like this before, Pete. I have no idea what I’m working with. Besides, it’s not the end of the world if we can’t get his magic back. I’ll bet you a hundred dollars he already knows how to do hand to hand, and how to fight with a range of weapons,” Tony says. “At least he’s alive, right? We’re lucky his life force isn’t really relying on the magic to keep him stable.”

“Count your blessings,” Peter says. He feels exhausted. The food Tony had brought was nice enough, but it’s made him feel sleepy enough to wonder whether Tony laced it with a sleeping pill or something.

“Damn right.”   


“Did you drug me?” Peter asks, gesturing the plate.

“I would never,” Tony says, frowning. “Why? Has someone slipped something into it? Peter?”

Peter just falls asleep.

 

*

 

When he wakes up, Loki is standing next to him, looking right as rain.

“What are you doing? Go back to bed!” Peter tries to say, but it comes out a garbled mess until he can get control of his mouth.

Loki guesses what he was saying though, and turns to smile at him. “I’m fine, child. Rest now. You have had a long few days.”

“I’m fine,” Peter says, pushing up. “Although I don’t know the last time I slept that good.”   


“Ah. Yes. That would be my doing,” Loki says.

“You drugged me?” Peter demands.

“I merely used my magic, or what remained of it, to nudge your spirit towards the realm of sleep,” Loki says, sounding mightily unbothered by it all.

“Your magic? You have it back!”

“Well, I did say I was fine,” Loki says, but he’s smiling back at Peter too. “You should sleep again. Your energies are not fully replenished yet.”   


“You can feel my energy?” Peter asks. “That’s kind of creepy.”   


“To me, some of your customs are creepy too. Sleep,” Loki encourages. Peter does. His heart is still.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uggggggh i hate this
> 
> comment?
> 
> check out ye olde [tumblr](https://spideysstark.tumblr.com) if you want. theres a few things going on over there.

**Author's Note:**

> woo! comment what you thought? your comments spur me the fuck on.
> 
> check out my [tumblr](http://spideysstark.tumblr.com) for more content/drabbles/me


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